A Rebellion
by Allicat9
Summary: We all know what happened to Harry, Ron, and Hermione during the Deathly Hallows, but what about Neville, Ginny, and Luna? What was happening back at Hogwarts? What can they do under Snape's regime? It's time for a rebellion.
1. Chapter 1 An Arrival

_**J.K. Rowling Owns all. I'm just playing!**_

**Chapter One**

_**An Arrival**_

The wind whistled through Platform 9 and ¾ , meeting hardly any resistance as it went. A few leaves danced along the pavement, but apart from that, the platform was still. Not empty, but still. The usual hustle and bustle the place had been replaced with an eerie quiet. The shouts of laughter were now substituted for quiet, nervous muttering. The bright smiles and calls goodbye were no more, instead, the pale, drawn faces of parents and Hogwarts students alike bid each other farewell in low voices and grasped each other as if they were not sure if they would ever see one another again.

At 11 o' clock exactly the Hogwarts Express pulled away as it always did. Not even the rise of the Dark Lord could make the train run behind schedule. Faces pressed against the window panes up and down the train, little hands, or sometimes not so little hands pressed upon the glass. As the train vanished into the distance, twisting its way though the mountains quite a few tears were shed as Platform 9 and ¾ became but a memory.

But there were no such tears in one compartment near the back of the Express. No, you see, in that compartment sat Ginerva Weasley and Ginerva Weasley did not cry. She could sniffle though, and sniffle she did. In fact she sniffled so much that she required a tissue, an item one needs when one is sniffling, not crying. As she was rummaging in her bag for one, her compartment door slid open and a bright yellow handkerchief was suddenly thrust under her nose.

Startled, Ginny looked up, and was met with a pair of wide peculiar blue eyes and a gentle smile.

"Luna!" She exclaimed, jumping up and enveloping her friend in a hug, "I haven't seen you since-" she had to swallow a few times to get the words out, "since the wedding. Did you get out of it alright?"

"Oh yes," Luna said dreamily, stepping into the compartment and sitting down. "They questioned dad, and then me, but I just told them all about Narllumps and they let us go."

"Hello you two," a familiar voice called from the doorway. A beaming Neville Longbottom strode into the compartment and sat down next to Luna, "Heard about the wedding Gin, Harry and them get out alright?"

"Oh yes," Ginny said rather glumly, "Dissapearated right away. Dad's sent them a message not to contact the family. Suspects we're being watched."

"What did you tell them about Ron?" Neville asked, pulling a half eaten sandwich and biting into it.

"We told them that Ron's ill and can't come to school. Transformed the ghoul in the attic so it's got red hair and boils."

"And they bought it alight?" he asked, mouth still full.

"Yeah, didn't want to get too close you see, because of the smell and all," Ginny said, wrinkling her nose at the memory, "But dad still reckons we have to be careful."

"Did you hear about Snape?" Neville asked darkly, swallowing.

"Just about him running the place." Ginny scoffed, "As if more proof was needed that the Ministry's been completely taken over."

"My dad says that it's complete garbage." Luna said, her voice taking on an uncharacteristic tone of indignation, "Says so in this weeks _Quibbler_. Here," she reached into her shoulder bag, "take a look."

_**ALLEDGED MURDARER IN CHARGE OF YOUR CHILDREN!**_ Blared the headline above a picture of a scowling Snape.

"He tells the whole truth about what happened last term," Luna said, taking the magazine back from Ginny, "had to remove a whole article about the magical properties of ogre toenail clippings, but he thinks it was worth it."

Neville had to take another bite of his sandwich to suppress a snort.

"I heard he has two death eaters working with him." Ginny said, "Alamis and Alapo…?"

"Amycus and Alecto Carrow." Neville said, swallowing again, "Death Eaters, some of the worst, Gran reckons, they were in Azkaban, but apparently there's been another breakout that the Prophet didn't cover last year."

"Yeah, well there was a lot the Prophet didn't cover last year." Ginny muttered, "though I'd much prefer it to the load of hogswolish their printing now."

"I wonder how things will be this year at school." Luna murmured, staring out the window, any view being obscured by the water that was now pelting against the glass.

'How ever it is, it's not going to be pretty." Neville said, chomping into his sandwich once more.

And, indeed, pretty it was not. When the Express finally slowed to a stop, the scene before the emerging students seemed dusted in shadow. The village, the train, the castle itself, all appeared as if they were covered by a hardly discernable grey sheen. Perhaps it was the cloudy skies, or the current climate, or the way villagers hurried from building to building, always glancing behind them, but each and every student felt a chill go through them as they stepped off the train.

Even Hargid, always cheerful in his gathering of the first years, was subdued, his eyes downcast, his beard now streaked with gray. As the Hogwarts students began their journey up to the school, one thing was certain, as the castle loomed before them. Hogwarts was no longer a safe place to be.


	2. Chapter 2  A Greeting

**So, what do you think? Please review!**

**Chapter Two**

_**A Greeting.**_

Ginny, Neville, and Luna trudged up the steps to the Great Hall, having to separate as soon as they were there. Luna went to sit at the Ravenclaw table, while Ginny and Neville went to sit at their customary spot at the Gryffindor one. They were soon joined by fellow Gryffindors Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown and Pravati Patil, all of whom looked a little worse for the wear.

"I wonder what the hat is going to sing about this year." Neville muttered to Ginny under his breath as they sat.

"I don't care, so long as it doesn't start spouting that Death Eater trash." Ginny replied, taking the opportunity to shoot a glare at the man now sitting in what was previously Albus Dumbledore's chair.

"Still a greasy git I see." Neville chuckled, "the Carrow's aren't much to look at either are they?" he continued, gesturing to the two rather stout figures sitting on either side of Snape.

"No." Ginny agreed just as Professor McGonagall, looking more thin lipped then ever before, stood and carried the Sorting Hat to the stool at the center of the room. The was an autiable gasp amongst the first years as it opened it's mouth and began to sing.

"_Many, many years ago, when I was just some cloth,_

_There came about a brilliant lot_

_Whose names you know so well,_

_Brave Gryffindor, Fair Ravenclaw_

_Sweet Hufflepuff , Cunning Slytherin_

_All noble, and all wise, _

_And they thought it swell,_

_To create a school, a magic school, _

_In which young wizards could excel,_

_And so now we stand here,_

_In this hall_

_You all side by side_

_And it pains me that what is together_

_It is my job to divide_

_And so tonight I will tell you, _

_Into which house you must go_

_But as you linger here before me _

_Take to heart what I say, for you must know,_

_As the dark clouds gather in around us,_

_And there seems to be no light_

_It is in unity that we succeed _

_and fight the dark with what is right_

_So let not a different sorting be the end of a friendship, no!_

_Instead let us look inside ourselves _

_Respect our differences and allow unity to grow_

_For there is no greater power _

_Then the one we have inside_

_What is your weakness is your _fellows'_ strength _

_And together no evil can divide _

_And though the tide is coming in_

_And the battle seems for naught_

_It is not lost until the last man's spirit is wrought_

_And so now my friends the time has come _

_For me to administer my test_

_Hold fast and firm together, _

_On your shoulder's the future rests_

_And now and now_

_Step up, take heart _

_Place me upon your head _

_Let me see into your mind_

_Let my words live in your heart. _

As the last notes of the song faded, the applause, especially from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables was tremendous. Alecto Carrow looked as if she had swallowed a Swelling Solution, and Snape seemed particularly grim as he reluctantly brought his hands together.

In a flash it seemed, the sorting was through, with _Benson, Pollyanna_, _Dalton, Andrew, Fentmen, Nathaniel, Greer, Maureen_, _Harman, Kent_, _Minnow, Bella, O'Ryan, Jakie, Pierce, Joseph _and _Taman, Ethel,_ joined their ranks to immense applause from their fellow Gryffindors.

And then, _he_ stood. A hush fell over the crowed, and Ginny watched as Professor McGonagall's mouth became even tighter.

"Another year has come." Snape said, his oily voice echoing though the silence, "this one promising to be better then the last."

"Like hell." Neville muttered, and Ginny suppressed a giggle.

"There are a few new security measures that will be instated this year. First, all students are required to submit to a check into their blood status." At that there was a nervous rumbling through the great hall, ignoring it, Snape continued, "All students will now have a compulsory curt view of 8 pm. Any student found out of bed without express permission from one of the Professor's Carrow or myself will be subjected to the _strictest_," he caressed the word, his eyes flicking to the Gryffindor table, "punishment."

"And finally," he said, standing a little straighter, "You will all find that Muggle Studies has been added to all of your schedules. The administration-"

'Voldamort." Ginny coughed under her breath.

"Feels that this class will give each and every student a glimpse into the true non magical world."

"Now let's eat!" Snape clapped his hands and the empty gold plates on the table were magically filled with all sorts of the finest food.

But it seemed that no body felt like eating. Some were still nervously talking about the blood status test in hushed voices amongst themselves, every once in a while shooting nervous glances at the staff table. Others chatted in high pitched tones about nothing important, revealing their anxiety. Still others said nothing at all, preferring to stare at their plate silently then attempt to maintain any sense of normalcy.

By and by dinner was over and the Gryffindors filed up to their dorms amid the prefects calls of "this way first years!". Ginny and Neville lagged behind the main group, so as to dicuss what was to be done about these new "procedures".

"I mean, we can't just _go along_ with this." Ginny hissed.

"I know, I know," Neville said running his hands through his hair, "we have to do something."

"I agree." Luna said, having joined their group without either of the others noticing.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something." Neville assured them before they were all shooed off to bed by a very harassed looking Professor Flitwick.

Later that night in his dormitory, where now only he and Seamus slept, Neville couldn't help but wonder what Harry was doing right at that moment. Several floors down, unbeknownst to him, Ginny's thoughts lingered on the same boy, though hers took a distinctly different direction. She wondered if he was thinking of her, like she was thinking of him. If he knew that she loved him. If he was safe. And then she breathed, so quietly that none of her dorm mates could have possibly heard,

"_Just in case you don't know, I love you Harry Potter."_


	3. Chapter 3  A Test

**Chapter Three**

_**A Test**_

The next morning was as quiet as the previous evening had been and breakfast was a somber occasion all around. Seamus in particular seemed to be having a difficult time coping with Dean's absence and just moved his eggs around on his plate to give them the appearance of being eaten. Ginny too was just picking at her food.

"You should eat you know." Luna said, sliding into the bench next to Ginny and swiping a piece of cold bacon from her plate, "Builds your strength and all."

But Ginny didn't feel much like eating, a problem Neville did not seem to share when he joined them moments later looking much more well rested then Ginny would have liked.

"Morning all." He yawned, reaching for a piece of toast and feeling around for the jam, which Luna handed to him, "Thanks Luna. Bloody weird isn't it? I mean, the dorms being so quiet and all. Just me and Seamus in my room now."

"Yes, well I suspect the Muggleborn Registration legislation has forced many muggleborns into hiding." Luna said, eyeing Ginny's remaining bacon strip.

"Yeah, still weird though." Neville agreed, pouring himself some juice.

Just then the shadow of one Minerva McGonagall swept across their table, causing Neville to pause in his inhalation of every solitary bit of food insight.

"Here are your schedules," she said briskly handing Ginny and Neville both a sheet of paper with their classes and times printed on it, "Miss. Lovegood, Professor Flitwick has yours. Each of you will find that you have an _interview time_," her nostrils flared at the phrase, "scheduled for sometime during the day. The Professors Carrow would like me to remind you all to be prompt." And without another word, and dutifully ignoring the fugitive looks Ginny was sending her, she turned on her heal and headed back towards the staff table.

'What have you got first?" Neville asked, as Luna hurried back to her own table to retrieve her schedule.

"Muggle Studies, 10' o clock." She answered, glancing down at the scrap of paper before her, "Taught by Alecto Carrow, by the looks of it."

"Oh, have you got Muggle studies first as well?" Luna asked, returning to their table with her schedule in her hand.

"Yes, can't imagine its going to be pleasant, can you?"

"Oh no," Luna said quite cheerfully, "I'm sure its going to be perfectly dreadful. What about you Neville, what have you got?"

"Interview." He replied shortly, anger creeping into his tone.

'I wonder what they'll ask?" Luna mused, chancing a glance up at the head table.

"Probably a load of rubbish about your family tree," Ginny snorted, "they're probably trying to sort out who's going to be trouble."

'Bet the Slytherins will pass no problem." Neville muttered darkly, casting a withering glare at the Slytherin's table, all of the occupants of which seemed quite pleased with themselves and were chatting amiably amongst each other.

"Wonder where Malfoy is?" Ginny asked noting their pale adversaries absence.

'He's a full time Death Eater now, isn't he?" Neville said, "What's a death eater need school for?"

'I suppose your right." Ginny said, though a twinge of inexplicable nervous energy shot down her spine.

Luna's sudden gasp pulled her from her retrieve, "It's almost ten o'clock, we're going to be late!"

The two girls hurried to collect they're things and raced off together down the hall. It was unusual, Ginny mused, for Luna to concern herself with anything as mundane as when a class started. But perhaps the present climate was enough to penetrate even Luna's shield of foggy lunacy.

They arrived to class a mere two minutes behind schedule, but found that they class had already been seated.

"Ah!" Alecto Carrow sneered from the front of the classroom, so nice of you to join us ladies!"

Ginny and Luna stepped into the classroom, each taking in the giant family trees and volumes with titles such as _Muggles, the Plight of the Wizarding World_ and _The Greatest Wizarding Family's of Britain-a History_ that had replaced the diagrams of plugs and charts of the muggle population's growth since the 15th centaury.

"And who might you two be?" Carrow asked, brandishing a class list and looking expectantly at them.

"My name is Luna Lovegood." Luna answered in her typically serene voice, not seeming at all perturbed by the death eater glaring malevolently at her a few feet away.

"So then you must be the Weasley girl." Carrow sneered, her eyes flicking to Ginny's mane of fire red hair, "Yes I should have guessed as much. Twenty points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw for tardiness. Sit down you silly girls." She snapped at a smiling Luna and a shaking Ginny, who obeyed and sat in the two empty seats near the back of the class (the latter quite reluctantly).

"Now," she smiled at the rest of the class, (revealing two missing teeth amongst a set of rotting yellow ones), I have decided to begin our year together with a little test, one of my own invention, which will allow me to evaluate your aptitude for this subject." She flashed the class again with what she must have thought was a winning, gentle smile, which only succeeded in making Wendell McKesson (who was, to his great dismay, misfortunate enough to have a seat in the front row) practically vault over the desk behind him in his haste to put a little space between him and the woman before him.

She waved her wand and a volume thick appeared on the desk before each student to general sighs of dismay.

'You may begin."

Ginny suppressed a sigh and flipped to the first page of the booklet, and picking up her quill, her eyes finding question one, a short answer, and preparing to write;

_** Muggle Studies Aptitude Test - Level 6**_

_**Short Answer: What, in your opinion, has been the greatest travesty imposed on wizardkind by they're so called "non magical brethren"?**_

Ginny inhaled sharply, her head snapping up to examine the faces of her classmates. Luna hadn't even opened her booklet, but was instead staring dreamily out the window, muttering something about Wingedlily pulp fairies under her breath, twirling her wand between her fingers absent mindedly as she did so. Others in the class looked just as disgusted as Ginny and had begun to flip through their pamphlets, as though searching for a proper question. Still, there were some that, after a momentary look of shock at their papers, and a nervous glance at the desk where Professor Carrow was sitting, began to write.

Ginny chanced a glance at question two and was unable to contain her snort of repulsion.

_**In your own words describe the many problems facing the wizarding world today because of the infestation of lesser beings (muggles). **_

"Something the matter Miss. Weasley?" Ginny glanced up to see the flabby face of Alecto Carrow leering over her in what the latter obviously thought an intimidating manner.

"Not at all Professor Carrow," Ginny answered brightly, in her most sarcastically sweet voice, "I was just looking over the wonderful exam that you have compiled for us."

"And why have you not begun?" Carrow replied in an equally sweet voice, though Ginny could hear the threat behind her words.

"Oh," Ginny laughed, and the sound seemed to echo about the room. Many of her classmates had abandoned they're papers and were now staring at her and Carrow with wide eyes, even Luna had abandoned her day dream and was now looking at Ginny, a small smile playing on her lips, "I won't be filling this out."

"And why ever not?" Carrow hissed, all sweetness gone from her tone. Ginny noticed how her hand inched closer to her pocket.

"Because Professor that would be saying that I _believe_ it." Ginny said as innocently as she could muster, "And I don't, because frankly, Professor, this is the biggest pile of shit I've ever had the misfortunate of seeing on paper."

Carrow seemed to be using all of her strength not to leap across the desk and strangle her, at feat at which she was doing surprisingly well until Luna Lovegood began to laugh.

It wasn't a loud laugh, just the quiet chuckling that Luna was so known for. But Alecto Carrow's face darkened with each giggle out of her mouth.

"DETENTION!" she shrieked, reaching for her wand, "DETENTION AND 100 POINTS FROM GRYFINDOR! You little bitches are going to see exactly what happens when-"

But exactly what they were going to see, Ginny and Luna never discovered, for at that precise moment, the classroom door flew open, framing the imposing silhouette of Severus Snape.

"What on earth is going on in here?" he asked, his black eyes taking in the terrified faces of the class at large before focusing in on Carrow brandishing her wand in a defiant Ginny Weasley's face.

"Snape!" Carrow cried, immediately stuffing her wand back in her pocket, "It's the Weasley girl, causing trouble, just as you suspected she would."

"Ah…yes." Snape said his eyes glinting evilly as they traveled over Ginny, "Yes. Why don't you let me take care of her Alecto, and you can get back to your lesson."

"Take this one too." Alecto said, walking over to Luna and wrenching her from her seat.

"Very well." Snap said, and, indicating that the girls should follow him, turned on his heal and left, Ginny and Luna trailing in his wake. And as the door to the classroom swung shut, Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that she had failed that test.

**OK, that's ch. 3 done. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4  A Questioning

**Chapter Four**

_**A Questioning **_

Neville was sweating. It was something he did when he was nervous, and so it was something he did often, because he was nearly always nervous. But at that moment, sitting next to Amycus Carrow's classroom, listening to him question and berate a first year boy until he was in tears because the child couldn't remember if it was is grandmother or his grandfather that had been a muggleborn, Neville was not nervous. No, he, Neville Longbottom, was angry. Angrier then he had ever been in his life. So angry that he was shaking. And that is why he was sweating.

He only had to endure a few more seconds of the boys tears before the child came hurrying through the door. Not even glancing at Neville he made a mad grab for his things and ended up dropping them, scattering them about the hall.

"Here, let me help you." Neville said kindly, dropping to his knees and beginning to gather the boy's things for him, ignoring the male Carrow's calls for him to come in.

"Hurry up will you, got hundreds of you little bastards to do before-" the man stopped short when he saw the scene before him. The boy gave a squeak of fear and began gathering his things more quickly, managing to tip over a bottle of ink in the process.

Carrow swore and, brandishing his wand, pointed it directly at the boy.

"No!" Neville shouted, reaching out a hand to protect Carrow's potential victim. For a moment, all was still. Carrow was staring at Neville, who stared right back, as if he had never seen anything quite as shocking as someone risking their necks from someone else. Then, as though realizing how silly he looked, frozen in the hallway with a half

formed curse on his lips, he lowered his wand, and sent the now terrified boy away with a gruff "Off with ya."

"You, in here." He said gesturing Neville into his office as they watched the boy scamper away with his ink soaked things.

Carrow's office reminded Neville strongly of a dark, dank cave. The curtains were drawn, casting the room in shadow, cobwebs graced every surface, and a thick putrid odor hung in the air. Even Carrow himself, a sallow, pockmarked man with a potbelly, seemed to embody the overwhelming sense of decay in the room.

"Bet you thought that was mighty clever of ya." He sneered, throwing himself into his chair and examining a still standing Neville through still narrowed beady eyes.

"No." Neville replied shortly moving to sit in the chair across from the desk, which had been vacated moments before by the crying boy.

"Did I say you could sit down?" Carrow snapped.

"I-No."

"Then why are yer sitting down?" he growled, grinning a toothless grin when Neville rose from the chair, "What's your name cheeky?" he laughed, glancing down at his list, "Longbottom is it? Longbottom…" and it was as though a light bulb (albeit at very dull and dingy one in need of new wiring) had gone off in his head, "_Longbottom_," and he stared at Neville now with a mixture of glee and incredulity, "Your not, but you must be-"

"My parents were Frank and Alice Longbottom, if that's what you're asking." Neville said stiffly, clutching his firsts to his sides.

A look of shock crossed Amycus's ugly visage before he was laughing as though Neville had told the greatest joke in the world.

"Sit down boy, sit down." He giggled; waiving a stone faced Neville into the seat across from him. It took a few moments for Carrow to gain control of himself, but once he did he simply stared at Neville across the table, an evil grin still playing on his dry and bleeding lips.

"So your the son of the famous Frank and Alice Longbottom. _You_. Forgive me," he chuckled, wiping his eyes, "It's almost too good to be true! Frank and Alice Longbottom, protégées at the Ministry, blood traitors, part of Dumbledore's inner circle, and _you're_ their son? HA! It's beautiful really, the dark Lord was right, though he always is of course," he muttered, correcting himself quickly, "Let's have a look at your charts, shall we Longbottom?" he asked brightly, rummaging though the papers before him, "Hmmm, none to bright are we now?" he asked in mock disappointment, a chuckle escaping him, "but you can't 'spect much from scum, now can you?" and he leered down at a trembling Neville.

_ "Can you?"_ he prompted, when Neville remained silent.

When Neville still did not speak, Carrow let out a dismissive sound from the back of his throat, "Ah well, don't strain yourself there boy. You're pureblood, though the bloods tainted," he eyed Neville over shrewdly, "But you're harmless enough aren't you?"

And Neville said nothing.

_ "Aren't you?"_

And he remained silent.

"Answer me boy!" Amycus yelled, standing and reaching for his wand.

"Yes Professor Carrow." Neville murmured so quietly that if one was breathing to loudly they would have missed it.

'What was that?" barked Carrow, craning his neck as though to better hear the boy before him.

"I said," Neville said, raising his head to meat Carrow's eyes "Yes, Professor Carrow."

Satisfied, Carrow dismissed him, and Neville walked away feeling more hollow then he had in his life.

_**Review, come on I know it's short, but PLEASE REVIEW-it will make me really happy!**_


	5. Chapter 5 A Lecture

_**Chapter Five**_

_**A Lecture**_

"You did WHAT?' Neville cried, his eyes wide with shock as Ginny recounted the events of her and Luna's day.

"I simply told her that I wouldn't fill out the test." Ginny sniffed, waving her hand as if to signify that her defiance was no big deal, "And Snape heard the commotion, obviously, and came running, and pulled me and Luna out of class."

"What'd he do to you?" Neville gasped, his eyes automatically flicking over his friend as though checking for injuries.

"Nothing." Ginny said with a rather puzzled air, her eyebrows pulling together, "Just kind of sneered at us for a while, told us a load of crap about how if we didn't shape up and keep our heads down we would dig ourselves into, oh what was the phrase he used," Ginny paused, tapping her chin with her wand, "Oh yes, _into a hole in which not the brightest light will shine, afflicted with pain so unbearable that you will have wished to have died a thousand times before you have been there five minutes_," she giggled, "Cheery right? I just told them that as long as he didn't show his face there, I'd be perfectly cozy. I have double detention this weekend."

Neville groaned, "Ginny, there's not telling what they'll do to you while you're in there, these aren't normal teachers-they're death eaters! They could kill you and no one would do anything about it."

"I doubt they'll kill me, I'm pureblood, if not a very good one." She reasoned, "And besides, its what Harry would have done."

"Yeah, but I'll bet anything that its not something he'd want you to do." Neville said pointedly, raising an eyebrow, as if daring Ginny to protest.

"Well, he's not here." Ginny said defiantly, shaking her long mane of fire red hair, her brown eyes flashing dangerously, "And what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, he's out there, fighting. The least we could do is lend him a little support here at Hogwarts instead of just rolling over for these monsters!"

"You're right Ginny." Neville sighed, leaning back into his armchair and staring into the Gryffindor common room's fire, "I know you're right, but saying something and actually doing something are tow different things. I don't know about you, but I don't want to die anytime soon. Not that that's not noble," he said holding up a hand to stop an angry Ginny from interrupting, "And I know if there ever was a cause to die for its this one, but Gin," he looked up, his deep brown eyes meeting her lighter amber ones, "I just think we're more use to Harry alive then dead. I just think we need to plan, to coordinate, and not just take shots in the dark."

"What you did today was very brave, I know it, and so does everyone else, but Ginny, it was stupid." He chuckled a bit at that, "You know it too. We can do that kind of stuff all we want, but if we want to really be effective," and his eyes lit up at that word, "We need to have a little bit of foresight. Just a tiny bit mind you-"

"So nothing Hermione grade then?" Ginny snorted.

Neville smiled, 'No, nothing like that, but we have to mess with their heads, we have to make them scared."

"And how are we going to do that?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know." Neville sighed, his eyes returning to the fire, "I haven't figured that bit out yet, all I know is that we've got to do something, things cannot stay the way they are…they just _can't_!"

'And to think," Ginny said darkly, her eyes too, drifting to the dying embers, "this is only the beginning."

For a while they sat in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts as the shadows in the common room grew longer, until they were almost completely obscured by night.

"Neville?" Ginny asked, when she could only just make out her friend.

"Yeah Gin?" he answered, his disembodied voice floating out of the dark to her right.

"I was just thinking, even if we had a plan, which we don't, and even if others want to help us, which they won't, how are we going to…organize this? It just can't happen on the scale you're talking about.'

"Maybe it won't." Neville sighed, reaching up to rub his eyes, "Maybe it will just be us, but we have to do something that matters Ginny. We have to try and really do something about all of this madness."

"I agree Neville, but do you really think we have a chance to help?  
>"I dunno, maybe," Neville sighed again, straitening up, "But I know that now is not the time to discuss the details, we're tired, it's late, we'll talk about it tomorrow morning. Night' Gin."<p>

"Goodnight Neville." She replied, her eyes following him as he moved to the stairs up to the boys dormitories.

When he was out of sight, she allowed herself a lonely sigh and relaxed back into her chair, her eyes catching the light of the fire, burning in the dark.

**This is kind of a filler chapter, I know, but I thought it was necessary. Please review, it would be much appreciated. **


	6. Chapter 6 A Plan

_**Chapter Six**_

_**A Plan**_

-** FOR THE LOVE OF HARRY-REVIEW!**

_"THE WHAT?"_

_"The sword of Gryffindor," Ginny answered, in a voice that suggested that she had repeated herself several times before, "And do keep your voice down Neville, we are in the library, and Pince hates me as it is."_

_"Maybe she wouldn't so much if you stopped eating in the library." Luna suggested dreamily, staring out of the closest window, "she has asked you several times to stop you know."_

_Ginny just grunted in response and proceeded to prop her feet up on the table in front of her. _

_ "So, wait," Neville said, rubbing his eyes to clear his head, "Tell me again how you know this?"_

_ "I've known Dumbledore left them the sword since the summer, I was eavesdropping when Scrimmgoer was reading the will to them."_

_ "So the sword is Harry's."_

_ Ginny answered yes the same time Luna said no._

_ "No? What do you mean no?" Ginny snapped, rounding on Luna. Her temper, always close to the surface these days, had been even shorter then usual since her return to Hogwarts. With her bright red hair and face to match, teeth bared, nostrils flared and eyes flashing, not to mention her wand clutched tightly in her hand, Ginerva Weasley made for a very intimidating sight indeed. _

_ Luna, however, seemed unaffected by her friends anger, and regarded her calmly, and, in a tone appropriate to commenting on the weather replied, "Well, its as the minister said, the sword was never Dumbledore's to give away in the first place."_

_ "Yeah, but Dumbledore wouldn't have left it to them if they didn't need it for whatever it is that they're doing." Neville said, having recovered himself a little. _

_ "Exactly." Ginny nodded her head in agreement, "So what I'm proposing is that we…barrow the soward and get it to Harry somehow."_

_ "By barrow, do you mean steal?" Luna inquired pleasantly._

_ "Yes, Luna," Ginny sighed, "I mean steal."_

_ "And it's right there? Out in the open?" Neville asked, still a bit incredulous._

_ 'Yes." Ginny snapped, her patience waning yet again, 'its right there, right above Snape's chair, I could have grabbed it while I was doing lines in his office if the old bat hadn't been right there the entire time." _

_ "I wonder what it is that they need it for?" Luna asked, her eyes glazing over as they did when she was thinking particularly hard, 'I mean, they do have their wands, surely they wouldn't need a sword to fight Voldamort."_

_ Neville started and made a strangled coughing noise at Luna's casual mention of that name. _

_ "Oh for goodness snakes Neville," Ginny growled, slapping him on the back, "You minds well get used to it, we're going to be using it a lot."_

_ 'A lot?" he wheezed, trying to get a hold of himself._

_ "Yes, a lot, 'Luna smiled, "It's as Dumbledore always said, isn't it? Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself."_

_ "Right Luna," Ginny nodded, "And we need to stop being afraid right now and __do __something about this mess we're in."_

_ She glared at Neville, as if daring him to protest, but Neville was not looking at her. Instead he was gazing off into one of the many cobwebbed corners of the library, his mind elsewhere. He wondered what his parents would think (if they could think at all) about what he was considering doing. He mulled over what they might have done, had they been in his shoes. He thought of Harry, Ron and Hermione, of Dumbledore's Army, the best friends he'd ever had, and then he thought of Voldamort, the man who would take all of that away from him, whose servants had already managed to steal away his parents minds. And then his eyes snapped back to Ginny's. _

_ "Alright." He said, holding up a hand when she opened her mouth, "But it has to be meticulously planed, it's no small thing, sneaking into the headmaster's office, so we're going to do this my way."_

_ 'Agreed." Ginny said, and Luna nodded, both girls spurred on by the sudden fire in their friend's eyes._

_ "Ok," Neville said, leaning forward, "Here's what we're going to do."_


	7. Chapter 7 A Solution

**Chapter 7**

_**The Solution**_

"This isn't going to work." Neville gulped, glancing nervously around the corner and down the west hall.

"This was your idea Neville." Ginny reminded him, rubbing her head, which she had just smacked against the stone wall behind them, "Now man up and get your arse out there."

"Easier said then done, I imagine." A dreamy and rather muffled voice sounded from behind them and after much scuffling Luna's head came into view, "It is rather daunting, isn't it? Breaking into the headmaster's office?"

"Yeah, Luna, but it was _his _idea." Ginny hissed.

"Still." Luna said, managing a short of half shrug, which was impressive considering how little space there was. She, Ginny and Neville were crouched in a very tight passage behind the portrait of Bridget Baston outside the headmaster's office. The space was ment for one person at most, not three, and it was a feat in itself that they had all managed to squeeze themselves into there.

"For the love of God Neville, go!" Ginny whispered urgently after glancing at her wrist watch. In just three short minutes the bell signaling the end of class would ring, and the halls would be flooded with people. They needed to get into the headmaster's office before that happened. Ginny knew for a fact that Snape was down in the Dungeons helping Slughorn take care of a very curious conundrum involving acid pops, Bubotober pus, and several confunded Nifflers. Her class had been let out early because of it, and, though Snape had given her a suspicious glare went they had filed out, she was sure she had gotten off scot free. It was lunch period after Potions, and Snape always took his in the Great Hall. This was the perfect time to get into his office.

Now, however, it seemed that all of her hard work was going to have been in vain, because Neville seemed completely frozen. With an irritated grunt, Ginny maneuvered her way to the front.

"Alright, on my count-Luna, you're sure of the password?"

"Oh, yes." Luna's typically spacey voice replied.

"Ok, on the ready, wands out everyone-one-"

"Oh god," Neville choked.

"Two-"

"I wonder what will happen to us if we get caught?"

"Carrow would just about piss himself with joy-"

"Will you two shut up! THREE!"

They burst from the portrait and sprinted down the hall, screeching to a halt in front of the Gargoyle stationed in front of Snape's office.

_"Pure-blood."_ Ginny gasped, clutching her side, and the gargoyle slowly spun around to reveal the familiar spiral staircase it concealed.

The trio hurried up the stairs as quietly as they could whilst still moving at a reasonable pace. No sooner had Luna reached the first step, and the gargoyle swing shut then they heard the bell ring, signaling the end of class.

"Well that was close." Neville commented in the ringing silence that followed the bell in the stairwell.

"Come on, let's go." Ginny said, shaking it off as she began to climb the stairs again. Neville and Luna followed, the former apprehensively, the latter with a definite spring to her step.

The ascended the stairs in silence, each taking in their surroundings and careful not to make a sound. They all flinched when Ginny pushed open the office door, making it creak loudly.

It _seemed_ deserted, Ginny noted, taking a cautious step into the room, and then another, Luna and Neville following close behind.

She had never been in the office when Dumbledore had been headmaster, but the room still seemed like him. Tiny, odd looking instruments whirled on the endless shelves that lined the walls, adding a dull humming to the otherwise silent room. The portraits were all asleep, or at least pretending to be. Ginny couldn't help but notice that the rather large portrait that usually held the visage of their late headmaster was empty.

"You know, I've never been in here." Luna said conversationally, moving closer to the shelves to examine a particularly strange silver object, ",It's really rather nice."

"Looks just like it did when it was Dumbledore's." Neville murmured, echoing Ginny's thought as he cast his eyes about the room.

"I didn't know you'd ever been in here Neville." Luna said brightly, turning to her friend.

"Yeah, well…"Neville suddenly looked uncomfortable, and avoided both Luna and Ginny's curious glances.

"Come on then." Ginny said, wanting to avoid break the short awkward pause, and gestured her friends deeper into the room.

"Ok, it was right around here.." Ginny said, looking from left to right as they approached the headmaster's desk.

"There!" Luna exclaimed, and 'there' it was. Glittering in a glass case next to the ever shabby Sorting Hat was the sword of Gryffindor.

"Excellent." Neville said, "But how do we get it?"  
>But Ginny was already climbing up into the desk, scattering parchment and ink left and right as she went. Extending her wand arm towards the case she stumbled a little before standing and uttering.<p>

"_Diffindo!_"

The glass shattered and, with a resounding CLANG! The sword fell from it's place on the wall and fell with a soft thump onto the carpeted floor below.

"Stealing from the headmaster? My, what would Dumbledore say?" A sly and to familiar voice said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hello Mr. Nigellus." Ginny said jauntily, without missing a beat, or even turning to glance at the sneering portrait.

"Such a stupid girl, messing with things that do not concern you."

"As a matter of fact they do concern us." Neville said, stepping forward to Ginny's side, "In case you haven't realized, there's a war going on out there."

"I realize more then you could possibly comprehend boy." Nigellus smirked, his oily voice practically dripping with distaste as his cold grey eyes observed Neville, 'And mark my words, Professor Snape is doing what is in this schools best interest."

"Well then you have a pretty skewed view of what's in this school's best interest!" Neville exclaimed, his face flushing.

"Come on Neville," Luna murmured, taking Neville by the elbow, "Let's just go."

As they hurried for the door the portrait called out after them "Heed my words! You are rash fooli-" but the door swung shut before the rest could reach their ears.

The halls were empty, everyone was away at lunch. It was a bit of luck that they didn't run into Peeves. But even though it seemed luck was on their side, Ginny had to admit that the silent halls, so devoid of life and sound, were creepy.

They smuggled the sword down the second floor staircase, and were nearly to the Gryffindor common room when Ginny finally allowed herself a smile and sigh of relief.

"I can't believe we did it!"

'Yeah." Neville grinned, "Almost too good to be true isn't it?"

"It is." An oily voice agreed from the shadows. The trio halted immediately as Snape emerged from the shadow of a suit of armor, "I'll be taking that back now, Longbottom."


	8. Chapter 8 A Detention

**Sorry this is so late. RL and all that…Updates on all my stories will be regular from now on! If you read, review…it's common courtesy really **

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**A DETENTION**

"So," Snape hissed, his black eyes narrowing as he surveyed the trio over the Headmaster's desk, "So, you thought it would be fun to steal a priceless artifact from this school…and get away with it? Such arrogance." His eyes flicked to Neville, "And you Longbottom, what was your role in all of this? Just a hentchman then, because I'm certain you cannot be the mastermind behind this plot." He chuckled darkly, "But then, it was so poorly thought out, that you must have had some part in the planning, so tell me Longbottom," Snape leaned back in his chair, "Who planned this little…escapade?"

'We all did." Ginny said defiantly, sticking out her chin.

"Then you will all receive the same punishment, Miss. Weasley." Snape said, shooting a glare at Ginny, "Such an infraction cannot be taken lightly…stealing a priceless artifact…" he muttered as he summoned a piece of parchment to his desk, "…amazing you even…but then again _Potter_…"

"Don't you dare say anything about Harry!" Ginny snapped, her brown eyes flashing in her anger.

"Tisk, tisk, Miss. Weasley, more cheek from you? One would think that you would learn your lesson." Snape drawled, not even glancing up from the parchment before him as he spoke.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Ginny exclaimed, ignoring frantic looks from both Neville and Luna, "Betraying the Order like you have and then daring to sit at his desk, lording over all of us like you belong there. You disgust me."

Snape had become quite still during Ginny's little tirade, so still in fact, that if a fifth party had entered the room, her mightn't have noticed Snape's presence.

"Miss. Weasley," When Snape finally spoke his voice was so low, so venomous, that Neville had to work to suppress a shiver of fear, "I don't know who you believe you are speaking to, but I can assure you do not want that person to be me. You forget that I currently represent the establishment our world is currently ruled by. I _suggest_," he spat the word, "That you remember your place when speaking to your elders. Haven't your parents taught you nothing? But then, you are a Weasley, I suppose that in a household such as yours, lessons like that are simply passed over." He smirked as Luna placed a warning hand on Ginny's vibrating knee.

"Now back to the task at hand," He finished writing out their sentences with a flourish, "You will report to the gamekeeper at seven thirty tomorrow evening. He will instruct you further. Good evening." And he nodded his oily head towards the door.

The three trouped out in rather stunned silence, meeting a gleeful Filch at the bottom of the staircase. They trailed behind him as he escorted them back to their common room, babbling about how they were going to be hung from the rafters in the Great Hall, he was sure of it. Mrs. Norris twisted her way between their legs, tripping them often, but none of the three spoke a word.

Finally, when Luna had been dropped off at her common room, Filch led Ginny and Neville towards Gryffindor tower, still chuckling to himself about their coming punishment.

"Might teach you little bastards some respect for authority!" he exclaimed, just as the Fat Lady came into view. As soon as he was sure they were in the common room, he turned and hobbled away. It was only then that Ginny and Neville chanced a glance at each other.

"Was that-?" Ginny began, her eyebrows rising until they disappeared into her hairline.

"Yep." Neville answered, sinking down in one of the exceedingly comfortable Gryffindor common room chairs and letting out an enormous sigh.

"So you also thought that he was just a bit too easy on us?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, yes," Neville nodded, "About halfway back to the headmaster's office I had myself convinced that he was going to murder us and string us up around the school by out thumbs-like Flitch is always threatening to do."

"But what I don't understand is why he's being so…blasé about our punishments." Ginny muttered beginning to pace about the room, "I mean, stealing from the headmaster is a really out of bounds offence. I just don't understand why-"

'Give it a rest Gin." Neville sighed, rubbing his eyes, "Seriously, why can't you just be grateful that is just detention and go on up to bed? I, for one, have had a pretty rough day and I'm beat."

"You go on Neville." Ginny said, "I'm not tired."

"Are you sure?" Neville stood and looked at his friend. When she made no reply he shrugged, and, with a "Suit yourself." He clambered up the stairs towards the nearly empty dormitory above, his heavy footfalls echoing through the common room.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Ginny allowed herself to relax. Even though it was just Neville, someone she had known for years, she was finding it increasingly difficult to relax around others. Maybe it was because of what had happened at the wedding, maybe it was because her entire world had been shaken to the core, but Ginny Weasley couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the War then met the eye.


End file.
